Suspension device for flexible pipes and the like



March 29, 1949. s; J. ERLING 2,465,857.

SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR FLEXIBLE PIPES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 20, 1946INVENTOR SVEN JOHAN ERLING Patented Mar. 29, 1949 SUSPENSION DEVICE FORFLEXIBLE PIPES AND THE LIKE Sven Johan Erling, Nockeby, Sweden, assignorto Aktiebolaget Separator, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of SwedenApplication November 20, 1946, Serial No. 711,132 In Sweden November 29,1945 15 Claims. 1

This invention relates to devices for suspending elongated flexiblemembers, such as electrical conductors, rubber tubing and the like, froma wire or other longitudinal support. More particularly, the inventionhas reference to an improved device of this character, by means of whichthe flexible member to be suspended may be transferred quickly andeasily from one support to another.

It is often necessary, as in the use of a power driven curryingapparatus in a cow barn, to suspend a long flexible connector from thepower source to the currying apparatus, for instance an electric cableor a rubber tube, in such a way as to allow people and animals to movefreely beneath it without the danger of coming into contact with it. Forsuch purposes, a wire is often stretched from one wall to another abovemans height, and the connector is suspended slidably or rollably on itin loops, which can at will be brought together or stretched out.Instead of the supporting wire, a supporting cable, a bar, or the like,may be used.

In many instances, it is desired to be able to suspend one and the sameconnector at will on any one of several supporting wires stretched asabove described. In the use of electrically driven currying apparatus incow barns, it may be practical to arrange such a supporting wire behindeach row of animals, and a requirement for satisfactory use of such anarrangement is that the electrical connector or conductor should beeasily movable from one wire to another. The arrangements by whichflexible conductors have been suspended heretofore do not at all fulfillthis requirement, it being too time-consuming to hook off and move theconductor loops slidably suspended on the stretched wire and hook themon another wire. Furthermore, the supporting wire should be arranged atsuch a height that it cannot be reached by a person standing on thefloor, which with the prior arrangements increases the di'ficulty oftransferring the conductor from one supporting wire to another.

The present invention, therefore, is directed to the provision of animproved suspension device, whereby the flexible connector may bereadily removed from suspension on one support and suspended on anothersupport in condition for use. A device made in accordance with theinvention comprises a holder provided with a downwardly directed handleand having the shape of an inverted V which normally straddles the wireor other longitudinal support. Hookscarrying the loops of the connectorto be suspended can, when the loops are pushed together, glide onto thisholder so that the holder, the hooks and the suspended connector can belifted oil the wire by means of the handle and suspended on anotherwire. If desired, one end of the suspended connector may be attached toanother handle, which can likewise be suspended on the wire, in order tofacilitate extending the suspended connector and pushing it together.

For .a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had tothe accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of one form ofthe new suspension device;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of part of the device illustrated inFig. 1, showing the holder mounted on the supporting wire, and one ofthe suspension hooks on the holder, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the hooks depending from the supportingwire.

A supporting wire 2, or the like, is secured between two walls or otherfixed parts by means of a securing device I at each end of the wire. Thewire 2 carries a holder 3, which has the shape of a short V-shapeclchannel turned upside down so as to straddle the wire with the latterclosely received in the narrow upper portion of the holder. The holder 3is connected rigidly to a handle 4 projecting downwardly from theholder. The different loops of a flexible conductor 5 are suspended onthe holder 3 by means of suspension elements in the form of hooks B. Theright end I of the conductor is connected to a wall socket (not shown),while its opposite end 8 is connected to a currying apparatus (notshown). The end 8 of the conductor can thus be moved along thesupporting wire 2, so as to make it possible to use the apparatus atdifferent places along the wire. At its end 8, the conductor isconnected to a barshaped handle 9 adapted to be suspended on the wire.The handle 9 preferably has the form of a tube which encloses part ofthe conductor 5; that is, the conductor enters at the upper part of thetube 9 and leaves it at the lower end, as shown in Fig. 1. The upperpart of the handle 9 is provided with a groove-wheel l0 adapted to rollon the wire, whereby the movement of handle 9 along the wire isfacilitated.

As shown in Fig. 1, the loops of conductor 5 are pushed together on theholder 3. The hooks 6 then surround the holder except for an opening orpassage 6a in each. hook underlying the holder, and the wheel IU of thehandle 9 is also supported by the holder. is stretched out by means ofthe handle 5,. the

When the conductor 5..

3 wheel l rolls off the holder onto the wire 2, and one or several ofthe hooks 6 also glide off the holder 3 onto the wire. When thesuspension arrangement is to be moved to another wire, the loops of theconductor are pushed together on the holder 3 by means of the handl 9,so that they take the position shown in Fig. 1. The hooks 8 thus glideonto the holder, the free end of which should for this purpose have, asnearly as possible, the same diameter as that of the wire. The wheel Illfollows onto the holder. Then the suspension arrangement can as a unitbe lifted off the wire 2 by means of the handles i and B, the hookopenings 6a being wide enough. for passage of the supporting wire.Thereafter, the suspension arrangement may be suspended on another wireor placed in a depository. In order to prevent one or more hooks 6,together with the handle 9, from sliding oil the holder 3, the latter ispro-- vided on its bottom with one or several recess... I in which thehandle 9, or a part ilct fixed to it, enters at the lifting movement,thereby locking the handle 9 on the holder 3.

The hooks 5 should have such a form t1 cannot, after they have once beenrnav d o the holder, be removed from it by lifting. T

that they can be lifted off the wire toget) the holder 3. Accordingly,the do rected opening 8a in each book is wid wire 2 but is narrower thanthe enlai of the holder 3, whereby parts of the hook underlie theopposite sides or the hold When the conductor ii is stretc hooks 5should be capable of turning in relation to the carrying wire 2, sincewhen conductor is stretched out it is parallel with the carrying wire,but when it is pushed together the loops of the conductor tend to placethemselves crosswise in relation to the carrying wire. By making thehooks capable of turning on the wire through a substantial angle in ahorizontal plane, as betv een the full line and dotted line positions in3. locking of the hooks to the wire 2 or to holder 3 is prevented. Tomeet this requirement, the upper part of each hook 6 has the shape of aflat bow, as shown in Fig. 2. Below this part, however, the sicles ofthe hook extend downwardly in. diverging relation and in closely l tothe opposite sides of the ll-shaped hold its in relation to each otherin a horizontal or in a vertical plane at right to 't- W shaped part.This a desirable feature in the handling of the suspension arrangement.

In order to facilitate movement of the h oks and the handle 9 onto theholder the latter is pointed at its free end, as shown at i l in I Ifthe hooks have the angular position relanv/ to the carrying wire 2 asshown by full lines in Fig. 3, when arriving at the holder the taperedend portion ll of the holder will force the hooks to assume the positionshown in Fig. 2 when the hooks glide onto the holder. Thus, when thehooks are pushed together on the holder, they require the least possiblespace in the longitudinal direction of the holder 3 and of the wire.

The conductor 5 may be connected to the suspension hooks 6 in anydesired manner. As illustrated, however, one side of each hook extendsdownwardly from its turned-in portion underlying the holder, as shown at60, and is provided at its lower end with an opening through which asuitable clamp So for the conductor may be bolted or otherwise securedto the hook. It will be apparent that when the suspension arrangement isbeing applied to the supporting wire 2, the lower parts to of the hooksmay serve to guide the wire toward and through the hook openings @a.

I claim:

1. A device for suspending an elongated flexible member from alongitudinal support, which comprises a holder mounted on the supportand removable therefrom, and a plurality of suspension elements mountedon the support and movable along the-support and along the holder, thesuspension elements being operable to suspend the flexible member fromthe support and being removable from the support, the holder beingadapted to hold the suspension elements simultaneously, whereby saidholder and suspension elements are removable as a unit from the support.

2. A suspension device as defined in. claim 1, in which the holder has across-section of inverted f-shape, said support being located in theapex of the holder.

3. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, in which the suspensionelements are hooks each having an upper part in the shape of arelatively fiat bow adapted to project substantially beyond theunderlying sides of the support and the holder, whereby each hook isturnable in a hori- Zontal plane through an angle sufficiently large toprevent locking between the hook and the support and between the hookand the holder.

i. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, in which the suspensionelements are books each having an upper part in the shape or" arelatively flat bow adapted to project substantially beyond theunderlying sides of the support and the holder, whereby each hook isturnable in a horizontal plane through an angle sufficiently large toprevent locking between the hook and the support and between the hookand the holder, the parts of each hook lying below said bow-shaped partextending close to the opposite sides of the holder to guide the hook onthe holder.

5. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, in which the suspensionelements are hooks each having parts underlying the opposite sideportions of the holder, whereby the suspension elements are removablefrom the holder only by movement in the longitudinal direction of theholder.

6. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, in which the suspensionelements are turnable on the support through a substantial angle in ahorizontal plane, to prevent locking between the support and saidelements, the holder having a part below the support adapted to extendbetween opposite sides of each element in closely spaced relationthereto, said part of the holder sloping upwardly at one end toward thesupport, whereby the suspension elements when moved onto the holder oversaid end are caused to assume a generally cross-wire position relativeto the holder.

7. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, comprising also a rodsuspended from the support and movable along the support and along theholder, the rod being connected to one end of the flexible member.

8. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, comprising also a groovedwheel adapted to roll along the support and along the holder, and a rodsuspended from the wheel and movable therei with along the support andalong the holder, the

rod being connected to one end of the flexible member.

9. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, comprising also a rodsuspended from the support and movable along the support and along theholder, the rod and holder having interengageable parts operable to lockthe rod to the holder when the rodand holder are lifted from thesupport, and means for connecting one end of the flexible member to therod.

10. A suspension device as defined in claim 1, comprising also a rodsuspended from the support and movable along the support and along theholder, the rod having a longitudinal passage therein, said flexiblemember entering the rod at its upper end portion near the support andextending down through said passage and the lower end of the rod.

11. In combination, a holder having an inverted trough shape and adaptedto receive a support between the opposite sides of the holder, and aplurality of suspension elements mounted on and movable along theholder, each element having an upper part resting on the holder and alsohaving sides extending downwardly along said opposite sides of theholder and in closely spaced relation thereto, each element also havingparts underlying said holder and defining a passage narrower than thewidest external dimension of the holder but wider than the narrowestinternal dimension of the holder.

12. In combination, a holder, a plurality of suspension elements mountedon and movable along the holder, and a pair of handles projecting fromthe holder and adapted to confine the suspension elements on the holderbetween the handles, one handle being fixed to the holder at one endportion thereof, and the other handle being slidable along the holderand having means for connection to one end of a flexible member to besuspended from said elements.

13. In combination, a holder, a plurality of suspension elements mountedon and movable along the holder, a handle movable along the holder andprojecting therefrom so that the handle is adapted to limit movement ofsaid elements along the holder in one direction, means for connecting tothe handle one end of a flexible member to be suspended from saidelements, and releasable means on the handle and holder for locking thehandle against longitudinal movement along the holder in said onedirection.

14. A holder for hook-like suspension elements, which comprises aninverted trough-shaped member having a relatively narrow recess in itsupper portion for receiving a support, the sides of the member extendingdownwardly in diverging relation, one end of the member being tapered,and a handle depending from said member.

15. A suspension element comprising a hooklike member having an upperpart in the shape of a relatively flat bow, the member also having sidesextending downwardly in diverging relation and then extending inwardlytoward each other, said inwardly extending portions defining a passagebetween them, one of the sides terminating at said inwardly extendingportion thereof and the other side projecting downwardly from saidinwardly extending portion thereof.

SVEN JOHAN ERLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 934,808 Hiss Sept. 21, 19091,164,613 Jewell Dec. 14, 1915 1,521,987 Belfranci Jan. 6, 1925 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 364,789 Great Britain Jan. 14, 1932

